Soon, the imperial edict of investiture was delivered to the Yuan residence.

When Yuan Feng learned that his son had been granted the title of marquis, he couldn't stop smiling.

It should be noted that among the younger generation of the entire Han Dynasty, Yuan Shu was the first person to obtain a marquisate without relying on military merit.

But even just being number one was a great honor, and the entire Yuan family cheered and celebrated for it.

On that day, Yuan Feng once again ordered a grand banquet to celebrate for Yuan Shu and others.

Soon, news spread that Yuan Shu had been enfeoffed as a marquis and Ji Ling and others as earls.

The news caused a huge uproar among the adventurers.

Maritime exploration was the life they longed for. Now, in addition to fulfilling their desires, they could also receive imperial recognition and change their social class and destiny. This was like a guiding light for all adventurers.

In people's past understanding, if you wanted to get ahead, you either had to study or join the army. Now, with Yuan Shu being ennobled, people have seen a new path to advancement—seafaring.

If you dare to take risks and have good luck, you can obtain the fame, wealth and status you want. This has led many young people, as well as those from humble backgrounds, to join the ranks of adventurers.

Because of the Yuan Shu incident, a new wave of maritime enthusiasm swept across the Han Dynasty.

The streets were filled with groups of wandering knights and adventurers who, after reporting to the imperial court and government, rushed to various ports along the coast.

The few Romans still staying in Luoyang were also amazed by the positive and enterprising spirit of the Han youth.

Although the Romans were also adventurous, they were never as united and confident as the young men of the Han Dynasty.

Following Liu Hong's instructions, Yuan Shu and others temporarily stayed in Luoyang and began making various preparations for their next voyage. They also issued a recruitment notice through the Great Han Daily.

When they learned that Yuan Shu was recruiting men to prepare for another voyage, the wandering knights and the sons of various families flocked to answer the call.

For a time, the Yuan residence was bustling with visitors, and Yuan Shu was extremely strict in selecting those who came to answer the call, sometimes choosing only one in a hundred.

Even so, the area in front of the Yuan residence was still crowded with young people from all directions every day.

Yuan Shu's mother also chose a young lady from a wealthy family for him and held a grand wedding for him.

On the wedding day, Liu Hong also sent Zhang Rang with a wedding gift to offer his congratulations.

The Yuan family thus gained great fame, which made the other major families extremely envious.

In the first ten days of April of the eighth year of Jianning.

After more than three months of rest and preparation, Yuan Shu bid farewell to his parents and led the two thousand men he had recruited, equipped with the weapons and gear bestowed upon them by the emperor, toward Yangzhou.

With the departure of Yuan Shu and others, Liu Hong began to focus his efforts on the northern grasslands.

The General Staff of the Privy Council also received the Emperor's order and began to work intensively on the operational plan against the grasslands.

On April 15th, the Privy Council's battle plan was placed on Liu Hong's desk.

The plan was to first provoke a war between the Yuwen and Tanshihuai tribes to deplete their manpower, and then launch a three-pronged attack from Liaozhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou to sweep away the entire grassland with overwhelming force.

After reviewing the Privy Council's battle plan, Liu Hong pondered for a moment before approving it.

After receiving the emperor's approval, the Privy Council also began to mobilize quickly. The Northern Army, the Imperial Guard, and the Chang'an Camp successively received orders to prepare for war.

Factories and workshops with complete production lines were also operating at full capacity, working overtime to produce various types of military equipment and supplies.

The surgical department of the medical school has also begun to intensify its training of students in various battlefield first aid techniques.

The Royal Transport Corps and the Road Administration also began to organize large-scale logistics and transportation teams.

Officials from various border prefectures were also moving around, taking stock of the grain and various supplies in the official granaries and treasuries.

For a time, everyone was preparing for the impending war.

Inside the Deyang Palace, after reviewing the memorials submitted by various parties and confirming that there were no problems, Liu Hong revealed a relaxed smile.

Through his efforts over the years, the war machine of the Han Dynasty has finally begun to operate at high speed.

After putting down the last memorial, Liu Hong turned to look at Xi Zhicai beside him.

"Send someone to inform Mengde and the others that they can begin their operation!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Xi Zhicai agreed and then said, "Your Majesty, this battle between the Yuwen tribe and Tan Shihuai is of paramount importance. In order to prevent Mengde and others from making mistakes, I think it would be best to send a few strategists to assist them!"

Liu Hong nodded. "Then, Zhicai, who do you think should be sent?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai immediately stood up and bowed to Liu Hong: "Your Majesty, I am unworthy, but I am willing to go in person!"

"Zhicai is going in person?"

Liu Hong was taken aback when he saw Xi Zhicai volunteering.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I wish to go, and I hope Your Majesty will grant my request!" With that, Xi Zhicai bowed to Liu Hong and refused to get up again.

"Alright, I agree."

Seeing Xi Zhicai's resolute expression, Liu Hong finally nodded helplessly.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!!"

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai's face lit up with joy, and he straightened up.

Liu Hong gave a wry smile, then said with a serious expression, "However, once you get there, you must be careful and never get into any danger, understand?"

Xi Zhicai nodded heavily, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty!"

Liu Hong turned his head away and waved his hand: "Alright, go then, be sure to come back safely."

"Your subject takes his leave!"

Xi Zhicai bowed to Liu Hong and slowly retreated until he reached the palace gate before turning and leaving.

"Sigh, what an arrogant fellow!"

Liu Hong then looked up and gazed outside the hall, shaking his head and sighing.

Xi Zhicai, now holding the position of Director of the Military and Political Affairs Department and concurrently serving as the Chief of Staff of the Privy Council, is a man of great power and influence. In addition, as a confidant of the emperor, his status is not much different from that of Cao Song and others.

But the more this happened, the more pressure Xi Zhicai felt.

Especially when dealing with certain people, although they all treated him with utmost respect, Xi Zhicai could still sense a different kind of emotion.

To outsiders, Xi Zhicai's success today is solely due to his early befriending of the emperor. No matter how hard he tries or how much effort he puts in, that's the prevailing opinion.

This was clearly unacceptable to Xi Zhicai.

Therefore, Xi Zhicai volunteered to Liu Hong to personally go to the grasslands to prove his talent to the world and that he was worthy of the emperor's high regard.